Beauty is the Beast
by orangekangaroo
Summary: The popular but hated quarterback is paired with his former friend, a tattooed goth computer genius. When his life starts to crumble, can she bring him back to who he used to be? Warnings: launguage and some non-graphic violence. Possibly attempted rape.
1. Chapter 1

Beauty and the Beast, the classic fairytale. It had been told and re-told, performed, read at elementary schools across the country. This story is kind of like that, but the characters are off. Beast is the handsome, strong, muscular football player with friends that are just waiting for their chance to ruin his life. Beauty is the unpopular goth girl with issues and a stalker on the football team. How, may you ask, is the story of Beauty and the Beast? Truthfully, it's a lot darker, more like real life, with scenes that not everyone will like. But it has a happy ending, so read on.

-orangekangaroo

Grace and Matt were friends when they were young, mostly because they lived two doors down from each other. When they were little, they would play outside together and their parents were quite happy with their friendship. But people change, and they both changed as they grew apart. Grace's father became rich when his company promoted him, and her family moved to a bigger house in the same school district. Matt discovered an incredible talent at football, one that his father was quick to exploit, placing him in every summer camp and league he could find. And so the two friends grew apart, both changing as they went.

Because of her new found wealth, Grace found it hard to tell why people were trying to friendly. Then her mother died, and her father became distant and busy with work. Grace dressed in an eclectic mix of black and purple "goth" clothes and had some tattoos. She was very unpopular with regards to the school hierarchy, but she was a kind person with a large heart and ears that would always listen and therefore had many friends. Grace was one of those people who could make a laptop do pretty much anything she wanted, and with it she had started her own small app store, adding to her already considerable family money.

Matt became a football star, the quarterback of every team he ever joined. When he and Grace became juniors in high school, he became the varsity starting quarterback. He had many "friends" that only put up with his self-important attitude because of his popularity. Matt didn't realize it, but his so called "friends" all hated him, and were just waiting for the right time to bring his life crashing down. But as it was, he and his friends tortured any students too unlucky to be in their path, including Grace. Matt still remembered their long-ago friendship, but he dismissed it as a childhood phase.

This story actually begins at the beginning of their senior year, amidst the scramble of college apps and prom preparations. At this point, Grace and Matt never spoke unless Matt was bullying her. So when they were paired up in biology 2 as lab partners, neither was happy. This was the beginning of a new chapter for both of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Grace's face kept its stoic expression as she walked over to the lab table, thinking "I can't belive I have to work with him. Wait, that's not right. He'll expect me to do all the work." She looked at Matt's face as she sat down, and saw his characteristic look of disdain. She tapped her dark purple fingernails on the table as the rest of the students were paired off. Matt glanced down at the source of the offending sound and then at her face.

"Do you have frostbite or something, ice queen?" Matt was just annoyed that he had to work with the goth weirdo. Grace shot him a look. "I mean, who would want to paint their nails the color of a corpse?"

"A corpse's fingernails don't change color. But to answer your question, this color shows that I die a little inside when I'm near you." She flashed a sweet smile at him and resumed tapping. Matt rolled his eyes at the football player across the room, Bobby. Bobby just shrugged. Personally, Bobby would rather punch Matt in the face than be friends with the arrogant bastard, but he had to go along with the status quo. For now.

"Hey. _Hey. _HEY! Jock boy! Earth to asshole!" Matt turned to see the queen of the night following him. "Now that you're listening to me, we need to get together to work on the lab report at the end of the week." Grace gave him a pointed look.

Matt scoffed. "Or, you could do it yourself. It's not like you have anything better to do." He looked at her expectantly.

"Look, dousche bag. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not some cheerleader that would die to do your homework. I'm not even going to go to college, so if you think that I care about your grade, you are sorely mistaken. Be at my house on Friday at 8:00 or you can kiss your grade good bye." Grace turned to leave.

"Bitch." Matt turned.

"See ya Friday, Matthew."

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><p>That Thursday, Matt had a home game that would determine if they made it to sectionals. As he walked down the hallways that day, the other players high-fived him and clapped him on the back, shouting encouragement and praise. He was joined by Bobby and two other players as they walked towards the locker rooms. Bobby spotted Grace at her locker and started fantacizing. He had a secret obsession with the dark spirit that he saw before him, but he knew that being with her was social suicide. But that didn't mean he couldn't imagine possessing her, the things she would do to him, and the things he would do to her. Bobby bullied her the most so that he could talk to her, and he decided that he would like to do so now. "Hey, goth bitch. I've been meaning to ask, why do wear all that black? Someone die?" He knew that her mother had died three years before, and was gratified to see a flash of pain in her eyes. He imagined that the goth girl enjoyed pain as much as he enjoyed delivering it.<p>

"Do you need something, muscles for brains?" Grace turned back to her locker. "I have to get home and continue doing something useful with my life." She finished getting her books and turned to find her way still blocked. "Seriously, move." Bobby just stepped closer, forcing her back against the wall.

"What will you do if I don't?" He was literally breathing on her. Grace saw something in his eyes that terrified her. It wasn't disdain, or anger, or even indifference. Those she could handle. What she saw in his eyes was like a hunger, a lustful desire that scared her. And then it was gone. She tried to put on a brave face.

"Matt, just be sure you're on time on Friday. You need that grade more than I do. Now call off your bodyguard." Grace stared at the embarrassed quarterback who just nodded at Bobby. He moved reluctantly to let her pass. "Ta-ta, jocks."

"Dude, are you really going to goth bitch's house on Friday?"

"Yeah, she's my lab partner. I have to. If I fail another class I won't qualify for any college football scholarships. Some luck, eh?" Matt didn't let on that he had noticed the look in Bobby's eyes as he watched Grace walk away, they way he undressed her with his eyes. It made him vaguely uneasy for some reason, but he shook it off. Why should he care?

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><p>Matt lead the team to victory, just like he always did, and the school hailed him as a hero on Friday. Everyone, except Grace and her misfit friends. They never had the words of admiration that the rest of the school showered upon him, and he always felt they knew something he didn't. But he was willing to forget, if only his teammates didn't take it so personally. They enjoyed terrorizing the unpopular kids even more the day after a game than normal. But Grace and her friends were under the protection of her money and the apps that she had created. While they weren't left alone completely, they were not beaten up or shoved into lockers.<p>

That night, Matt showed up to Grace's house at 8:35, knowing he was purposefully late. Grace opened the door and led him inside. "You're late."

"I got caught up."

"By what? Being a complete asshole to eveyone around you?" Grace opened a door on the second floor. "Well, come on. Let's get this over with." Matt stepped in the office and had to be impressed. Three computers sat linked to one another on a large desk. Next to them was a framed picture of a boy that Matt recognized as a boy named Tom that had died two years before. Grace sat down at the desk and logged on to one computer. "Alright, lets just get this report typed so you can get out of my house."

"You know, we used to be friends. How did you become such a cold bitch?" Matt was annoyed by her lack of respect for him, and the words slipped out before he could think. Grace shot him a look.

"You discovered football. I discovered that the people you care about will die without warning. Funny how life turns out, huh?" Grace turned back to screen. "You know, it's amazing to me that you even asked. For a second, I heard an echo of the Matt that was my friend." Matt looked away.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with so I can get back to having a life." Matt rolled his eyes.

"Annnnnnnnnd there he is. I was starting to worry that you had emotions again." Grace turned back to the screen. "Alright, let's get started. And, by the way, I was sorry to hear about your dad. He's in the hospital, right?" Grace never looked up from the screen, but Matt looked at her, suprised that she knew about his dad.

"Yeah, he had back surgery...Thanks."

"How is he, anyways?" Grace's fingers flew over the keys.

"Oh, fine. He's getting out soon. Then he can get back to telling me how I'm not working hard enough at football and how I'll never amount to anything..."He realized Grace's green eyes were looking at his. "Um...anyways, what can I do?"

"Type away, quarterback. Just make the data into a table." The silence stretched. "For the record, even though you're a complete asshole, you are a good quaterback. Any father would be proud of your skills." They heard a door slam and then footsteps on the stairs. 'Speaking of fathers..." Matt saw a look of fear come in her eyes.

"Grace, where are you? You lazy bitch, where's my dinner?" Grace's dad stormed in the room. He was a large man wearing a suit that was too small for him, and he was obviously hammered. Grace stood, as did Matt.

"Dad, it's nine o'clock. I made dinner at six, when you said you'd be home. There's leftovers in the fridge." The fear in her voice made Matt feel strangely protective of her.

"I don't want _leftovers_, I want dinner!" He backhanded Grace so hard she stumbled back and almost fell, but Matt caught and steadied her. "See what you made me do? I just embarassed myself in front of company because you disobeyed me. I'm going out!" He staggered drunkly out of the room. Mat saw Grace's lower lip tremble as she touched the injured part of her face.

"Grace." His voice was softer than she had heard in a long time. "Grace, how long has he been like this?" He turned her face gently to face him. She just pulled away. "Come on, we better put some ice on that." They walked downstairs in silence.

"Matt, you should leave." Matt looked back in suprise. "Just leave." Then he got angry.

"Fine, you don't want my help? That's just fine. See you at school." He slammed the door, but paused on her porch. Even from outside the door he could hear soft crying.

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><p><strong>Ok, please review. This chapter stemmed from a dream I had that was interupted by the mother of all thunderstorms. Plese enjoy, and if you have ideas feel free to leave them.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**First of all, thanks to aokiwood and bookaddict4ev for inspiring me to continue with this story. Second of all, I may not be very consistant with updating for awhile. Anywho...enjoy.**

**Also, Matt's last name is now Smith and Grace's last name is Meredith. It's time to meet the parents.**

Matt laid awake in bed on, thinking about what had happened on Friday night. It wasn't like it was any of his business, but the way Grace's father hit her was disturbing to him. He opened his phone again and scrolled through his contacts until he reached "Goth". He felt a little bad about the name he had given Grace in his phone, but he shook it off. He only had her number because they were lab partners. "We never _did_ finish the lab report." His finger lingered over the call button, then descended. He heard a ringing tone and then a sleepy, somewhat cranky voice.

"What...the..._HELL..._do YOU want at 2-fucking-thirty in the _fucking_ morning? On a _Sunday?"_ Grace's voice was muffeled, but still _incredibly_ pissed. Matt looked at his clock and realized that it really was 2:30 a.m., and he guiltily decided that he must have woken her up. "Yo! Jock boy! I swear to God, if you are prank calling me, I will-"

"Whoa, calm down." Matt cut her off mid-sentence. "Look, I'm sorry I called you so late, but I realized we never finished that lab report. I know you said you don't care about my grade, but amazingly I do." He listened to the silence on the other end of the line. Then he heard a sigh.

"Fine, but you can't come over. My dad is...busy." _Yeah, busy._

"Whatever. You can come over here. What time can you come over?" Matt looked at the clock praying for a late time.

"I'll be there at one. And you had better be dying if you ever even _consider_ calling me again after midnight. See you at one." _*click* _Matt stared at his phone, and slowly changed "Goth" to "Grace".

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><p>"What do you mean 'your lab partner is coming over'?" Matt's dad was a large man, the ex-college football player living through his kid. Matt rolled his eyes.<p>

"I mean, my lab partner is coming over. We need to finish a project so I don't fail." Matt checked the time. It was five-to-one. "Dad, you remeber Grace, right? From elementary school? Yeah? Well, she's my partner. So, please, just keep the "my son's a disappointment" to a minimum. Awesome." Matt turned to leave when a large hand jerked him backwards.

"Don't take that tone with me, young man. I'm the only reason you might get a football scholarship to a great school." His dad was yelling now.

"Oh, _yeah._ So I can be just like you when I'm 45. A stay at home drunk with a wife to scared to leave, a drinking problem, and a son you resent for being better than you!" Matt was yelling now. He hated his father sometimes, especially when he was hungover like right now. I guess that Grace isn't the only one with drunk-daddy issues, Matt thought to himself.

"NOW YOU HAD BETTER TAKE THAT BACK RI-" *ding-dong*. Grace walked into the house, obviously having heard the shouting. She stood slightly in front on Matt in her dark makeup, black long-sleeved Led Zepplin shirt, black skinny jeans, and skull-covered high top converse.

"Hi, Matt. I'm here to work on the report." Grace kept her cold green eyes on Matt's father even as she spoke. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Smith." Her pointed tone took Mr. Smith off guard.

"Grace? Is that you? Why are you wearing all that black? I mean, who died?" He said this with a sarcastic smirk.

"My mother, thanks for asking." Mr. Smith seemed to deflate right in front of them. "Matt, let's go upstairs." Matt nodded and led the way to his room. He felt the hot tears of embarassment trying to clound his vision as he led Grace to his room. She had heard his father yelling and come to his rescue. He must have looked so weak to her. He was still trying to hide the tears when Grace broke the silence.

"Is your dad always that hungover at one in the afternoon?" She sat in the extra chair by the desk in his room. "I mean, he's either hung over or a complete asshole." She searched his face, and Matt knew that she could tell he had been close to tears.

"No, he's hungover right now. But he is also a complete asshole. At least when it comes to me. He hates me for being better at football than he was but he pushes me harder than any coach to get better so I can live the life he feels he should have had." Matt snapped out of his daze as he realized who he was talking about. "Sorry about what he said to you. You know...about your mom." Grace just shrugged. Cue the awkward silence.

"Let's just finish this project thing, ok? I think we've had enough 'feelings sharing' today." Grace smiled as Matt laughed.

"Alright, where were we?" Grace held up a flash drive and handed it to Matt. "Hey, isn't this a little low-tech for you, Miss computer-genius? You have your own apps and you carry around a three dollar flash drive?" Grace just shrugged again.

"Believe it or not, low-tech is usually better." They worked on their project for two hours and finished it with little talking.

"Matt? Are you up there? I heard that Grace Meredith is up there with you!" Mrs. Smith, Matt's mother, enter the room. "Oh my, it is little Grace! How are you sweetie?" She embraced the blushing goth as Matt sat quietly amused. "What did you do to your neck? Oh, that's a tattoo...of a...rose? A red rose?" Grace nodded. "Well, it's lovely. Very..." She searched for the word.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Smith." Grace interupted her searching. "Well, me and Matt are finished, so I think I'll just go home."

"Oh, nonsense! You must stay for dinner and tell us all about yourself. You and Matt were so cute together when you were little. Yes, you simply _must stay." _Grace seemed completely overwhelmed by the excited woman, and Matt finally took pity on her.

"Grace, do you want to stay?" He mouthed "Just do it" to her over his mother's shoulder. She raised an eyebrow. Matt shrugged. What did it matter? Grace was as good as staying already and it's not like they were friends again.

"Well...ok. But I have to go home afterwards." Grace smiled half-heartedly. Mrs. Smith literally clapped her hands she was so happy to have company. She left the room talking animatedly about what she would make.

"So...um...is your mom always so...friendly?" Grace looked very uncomfortable. "Seriously. We aren't even friends and she's willing to let the tattooed girl stay and have dinner." Matt laughed. Grace was so easy to talk to, though he could never do so in public. He had a reputation to think of.

"She just...really, really, really, REALLY likes company. She feels...happier with company around." He became serious. Why did he fell like her could tell her anything? "My dad...my parents don't exactly...love each other anymore. But my mom's either too scared or too set in her ways to leave." He looked at anything but Grace, not wanting to see the pity that was surely in her eyes.

"So...that's why I'm being held against my will in the home of the boy that's been a dousche to me for years? That's deep." He looked in her eyes and found understanding and a sarcastic glint. Matt thanked her with is eyes. "So...can we watch some TV or something?" They settled and began watching one of the many crime dramas on TV.

"You know, I never cared before, but since you're here. What's that tattoo on you neck for?" Grace smiled.

"First of all, you just see the part on my neck because I wear long sleeves all the time. Look away, I'm about to strip." Her voice dripped with so much sarcasm is was amazing. She stripped off the Led Zepplin shirt to reval a black boy tank...and the rest of her tattoos. The rose started just above her writs, the twisting black leaves on vines going up her whole right arm and shoulder up to her neck where the red petals of the rose were visible. "This rose is for my mother. She used to give me one red rose after every recital, little league game, even the first time I wrote code on a computer. Before she died, she took me out one last time and told me about the cancer." She felt tears pricking in her eyes. "She told me I could do whatever I wanted. So She took me to a tattoo parlor and I got the outline done. She died before I could get it finished. It's the last rose she ever got me." Matt looked at the tattoo, and through the mist of his ego he felt sad for her. Grace another tattoo, a barbed-wire arm-band on her left bicep that had blue flowers twisting around the cruel points of the wire.

"What's that one on you're arm?" Grce stroked it thoughtfully. "You remember that kid that killed himself years ago?" Matt nodded. It had been a shock, but many of his friends hadn't really cared, him included. The boy had been a mean, weird loner that would verbally skewer anyone that got near. In fact, he hadn't given it a thought since then. "Well, shortly before, I could tell something was wrong. There was just something wrong about him. But I didn't do anything. I couldn't because he wouldn't let me in, he wouldn't let me past the barbed wire. But after he died, I knew that deep under that pain was something beautiful. They found tons of pictures of these blue flowers in his room, so I got this tattoo to remind me of him, to remind me that even in the most unlikable people there is something beautiful." Matt sat stunned, stunned that she had permanently marked her body with a symbol of the most hated person in school. She pulled her shirt back on, covering her tattoos. "I only get tattoos that mean a great deal to me. These...have meanings."

"Dinner is ready! Come on down!" Mrs. Smith's cheery voice floated upstairs. Sam looked over at his clock, unable to believe that he and Grace have been upstairs for so long. It was already 5:00 p.m. They headed downstairs. "So tell me Grace. How have you been? How's your father? Do you like senior year? Do you-"

"MOM! Jeez, let her answer a question. How much caffiene have you had today?" Matt couldn't believe how uneasy Grace looked. She obviously didn't wnat to hurt hi mother's feelings, but she didn't want to answer any of the questions. He saw her edging towards the door.

"Oh right. Sorry." She looked expectantly at Grace as they sat down to eat. "How have you been dear? It was shame about your mom." Grace looked pained, but she hid it behind a small smile.

"I've been fine, thank you." Grace just wanted to leave. She didn't belong here, eating dinner with the clearly dysfunctional family of the school's most arrogant prick. His mother was hyper on caffiene, and his father looked as though he was already on his way to getting hammered.

"I have a question." Mr. Smith's words were slightly slurred, but there was no mistaking the malice in his tone. "Why are you dressed up vampire-y and shit? Are you a bitch or something? Cause if you wore normal clothes you would look decent." He leered at her as Grace's face turned to an unreadable mask.

"Thank you for the offer Mrs. Smith. But I think I'll skip dinner and go home now. See you at school, Matt." Grace all but ran out the door.

"Nice, dad. You could have at least tried to be nice her. Or at least sober." Matt was seething, though he didn't know why. Grace was just the school goth, and it couldn't have been the first time she had heard that question.

"Hey, I'm just speaking the truth. That girl wears too much black. I bet she wears those sleeves to cover up cut marks on her arms." Matt thought back to the hidden tattoos. "How can you be friends with her?"

"Dad we're not friends." And they weren't, they had just been making conversation. It's not like he, the hero of the school, could be friends with a nobody like her. But at least he wouldn't fail biology. Besides, he had enough friends.

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><p>Grace sat at her many computers, writing the code for a new program that would make her computer basically un-hackable. Her email dinged, and when she opened it, a friend had sent her a link. She clicked on it, and the website loaded. What was on it made her feel ill. The website was called "Matt Smith: Bully the Bully". It was a site dedicated to ripping Matt apart, one bullying at a time. The webite had only been up a maximum of two days and more people than went to the school had posted mean stories and rumors. People who couldn't have even met him were commenting on it. As the entires got newer, they got bolder and less true. Rumors about his sexuality, nights with prostitutes, even girls claiming he had STDs. "Oh, fuck. Fuck!" Grace couldn't believe it. She pulled out her phone and called everyone, and they had all gotton the email. That meant that everyone else had gotten before them. "Shit. Matt is not gonna like this." But she could have never imagined the impact it would have on his life.<p>

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><p><strong>Reviews, ideas, whatever you want is cool. Also, pardon any spelling mistakes. I tried to correct them all. Feel free to point them out if I missed any. Also, I'm thinking next chapter will deal more with Tom's obession with Grace. Nothing graphic though. So...um...have a nice day.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Matt walked down the hallways of his school, and the familar sights seemed different. There were no high fives as he walked past, no shouts of encouragement, nothing but the cold mavolent stares of his classmates. He saw his friends and he walked up to them. They stared at him, and on cue they turned and walked away. All but Tom the running back, who stood smirking.

"What's going on?" Matt looked around at the glowering student body and back the smiling Tom. "Does it have something to do with that website?" Tom laughed, a slow, mocking laugh.

"Of course it does, and I'm glad. I paid that computer geek a lot of money to make that site and I'm glad it was so effective after three days." He grinned at Matt. "Your reign over the school is coming to an end."

"Tom, what are you talking about? You made that site?" Tom laughed again.

"You are such a stupid prick. You walk around this school bragging about how great you are, making those who don't compliment you 24/7 miserable. Your own 'best friend' started a website to bring you down. It's my time now, and there's nothing you can do to stop me from destroying the life you've enjoyed for years. You're done. By the way, coach wants to see you." Tom waved as he walked away. Matt looked around for a friendly face, but he could find none. He walked to the coach's office and went inside.

"Hey coach...Tom said you wanted to see me." Matt was nervous in front of the man for a reason he couldn't define. Coach looked up.

"Oh, yes, I did. Come in, sit down." He waited for Matt to settle in. "I have been alerted to the presence of a certain website. Care to explain?" Matt froze up.

"I...um...I-I don't..." Matt couldn't find the words. He saw Coach staring intently on him with a mixture of disappointment and distaste. "I don't know what to say."

"Well, I do. These rumors are serios. There has even been a rumor started that you and I have an..."inappropriate relationship", that you and my daughter have had one, and on and on. They aren't true, but I'm under a lot of pressure from parents right now. Do you know what I'm saying?" Matt couldn't quite grasp what Coach was saying through the fog of confusement that his words had woven. Him...with coach? Gross and untrue. "Matt, did you hear what I said? You're on suspension from the team until this is all cleared up. No games, no practices, nothing. You can collect your stuff after school, but I don't want you coming around after until I tell you."

Matt walked out of the office in a daze and bumped into someone. "Hey, are you ok?" He looked down and found the familiar green eyes searching his. They held no pity or anger or hate like the other students'. They held compassion and concern. But he couldn't look at her, convinced it was just a game she was playing to get back at him for all those years of bullying.

"Just...leave me alone right now." Matt walked away to find his first class. Grace watched him, noting the smug stares of the jocks he passed and the hateful stares from the lower members of the social food chain.

After school, Matt went to the locker room to collect his stuff from his locker. As he opened the lock he heard the footsteps of the other players entering the locker room. "Hey Matt, sorry to hear about the suspension. Alright, everyone out. I need to speak to Matt here alone." Matt watched as all but Tom and two others stayed. "How's a football-less life treating you so far? Good? Didn't think so. You know, you brought this on yourself. And this!" Tom swung at Matt, but Matt neatly stepped to the side ready to fight. Just then he felt his arms grabbed and he struggled to get free as the two boys held him still. "You know, now I'm mad. It's time for you to learn some manners." Tom geared up for the beating, and Matt struggled harder.

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><p>Matt sat outside the school on a bench, feeling the bruises on his face, arms, and abs forming. Tom had beaten the shit out of him, he thought. Matt didn't know who he was waiting for. He had no friends anymore, though he now doubted that he ever had. He scrolled through the text messages on his phone, reading the insults, the threats, the messages from the people he used to take for granted. He went to contacts, scrolled, and hit the call button. "Hello? Matt? What's going on?" Grace's voice sounded like it always did. Matt couldn't help it. He started spilling the story to her, and asked her to come get him. He had walked to school and didn't want to walk home in this condition.<p>

Five minutes later Grace pulled up to the school in her black car. He got in the passenger seat and she pulled out of the school. She didn't say a word as they drove to his house, but then he spoke up. "Can I go to your house? I don't want to face my dad. Coach will have told him that I got kicked off the team by now, and he'll be pissed." Grace just drove past his house and turned around to leave the neighborhood. Matt didn't want to, but the tears came and ran down his face. He knew that Grace saw them, and he didn't care. They reached her house and went inside. Grace lead him up to her room, where she sat him down on her bed and handed him a soda from her mini-fridge. She sat next to him and turned on the TV and together they sat in silence with their sodas.

"Grace? Do you really think that I'm an asshole?" Matt knew that she was the one person who would tell him the truth without sugar coating it. Grace looked at him.

"Uh, yeah. You were a complete and total asshole to me and everyone around you. But at least to me, you knew you were a bully. But you were an ass to your so-called 'friends'. You never let them forget how great you were but never listened to them. Anyone else would have seen the annoyed looks they gave you, but you were so wapped up in yourself that you couldn't." She was silent for a moment. "But you aren't a bad person. You never hurt anyone, never actually hit your victims. So I guess that's something." Matt looked thoughtfully around her room.

"I can't do this. I can't...live with everyone hating me. This website...it's my fault, isn't it?" Matt watched as Grace sipped her soda.

"In a way, I guess so. You were the reason behind it, being a jerk and all. But no one deserves this kind of attention." Grace got up stipped off her long sleeve black top. Matt thought it looked like a very angry wolverine had attacked it, there were rips all over it. Grace had worn it over a royal purple tank top, which she now wore with her ripped black jeans. Her rose tattoo stood out on her pale skin and for a moment Matt thought she looked like a dark angel. "Dude, stop staring at me. It's creepy." Matt jerked his eyes away, mumbling an apology. "Hey, I'm just kidding! Relax, I only expose my tattoos in front of people I think I can trust not to judge me. Can I trust you?" Matt just shrugged as Grace began redoing her ponytail.

"It's not like I have the moral high ground here, not after today." Matt stood up too and threw away his empty soda can. "Look, I'm sorry I called you. You didn't have to let me come over. I probably wouldn't have done it for you." Grace regarded him thoughtfully.

"Maybe I wanted to show you that unexpected kindness is the best kind. It can change even the most arrogant jock into a real person again." Grace turned around and forced Matt's face to look at her. "Today you found out that your actions over the last few years have consequences. While it's unfortunate that you found out in usch a terrible way, you needed to know. Your soul was buried under mounds of self-important bullshit."

"Yeah, thanks for the pep talk." Matt turned to leave.

"Oh no you don't. Get back here. The same holds true for you do now. Your actions have consequences. You have the chance to change your life, unearth your soul from under all that has managed to hide it. Not everyone get's that chance until it's too late. Is it too late for you?" Matt and Grace were close, close enough to feel the tension between them. Grace traced the already forming black eye with soft fingers. "Think about it, Matt. Because what you do starting now will determine your future." Matt stared into her eyes, and saw the truth in them.

"I have to go." He broke the silence and stepped back. Grace said nothing as he gathered his things and nothing while she drove him home. But as he undid his seatbelt, he turned back. "Thanks. For everything. No one else even wants to be near me now, and before no one would tell me the turth. Maybe I didn't want to hear it. But you actually care. After all the things I've said to you, all the pranks the team played on you, everything, you still want to try to save me. Why?" Grace put her hand on his neck and pulled his face close.

"You had everything, and you lost it. You may not realize it, but you're worth saving." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Now get out of my car and call me if you need anything. Advice, a shoulder to cry on, or my personal specialty, sarcasm." She grinned. Matt hugged her over the stick shift, the kind of awkward car hug that only works if both people have their seatbelts off. Then he got out of the car and walked inside his house to face his dad.

* * *

><p>Bobby stood in the bushes across the street. His obsession with Grace had grown since he saw her pick up the newest school reject and take him home. Why would she want that disgraced quarter back when she could have him, Bobby thought. She obviously wouldn't be his public girlfriend, he already had one of those. But she could be his...mistress. Yes, mistress. He once again began daydreaming about what they would do together, being secret lovers. Goths loved the dominating stuff, right? Well, even if they didn't, Grace would. He would make sure of it. His reverie was interupted by the sight her kissing Matt on the cheek. Bobby's blood boiled, and he pulled out his phone to call Tom. "Hey, you'll never guess what I just saw." If Grace wanted to be with Matt, then he would just have to make sure that Matt was further disgraced.<p>

"You're kidding! He and the goth freak are hanging out? Wow, he fell fast. My website sure worked fast." Tom laughed on his end.

"Yeah, well it didn't work well enough. I want him so disgraced that he can't even think about being friends with that goth. I want him alone." Bobby was breathing heavily. Truthfully, he just wanted Grace to leave Matt alone too, so that he could have her all to himself.

"You know, Bobby, I think you just want him out of the picture so you can act on that little obsession of yours. Don't deny it. I see the way you look at her. Your secret is safe with me though. I just want Matt to be so far down the food chain he photosynthesizes. ." Bobby had no idea what that meant, but he liked it. "Do what you want with the tattoo freak. See you later."

Bobby watched Grace drive away, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay away from her much longer. He daydreamed about the look on her face when she found out she had been selected to be his secret lover. It's going to be the best day of her life, Bobby thought.

* * *

><p>Over the next few months Matt and Grace spent a lot of time together even as the website grew and gained members from people in other states. Tom had leaked anonomously to the media about the website, but it couldn't be taken down because it didn't have anything illegal on it. Matt received hate mail, threats, and people were openly rude to him at school. He had quit the football team even though his dad screamed at him for hours. He had taken Grace's advice and done what felt right. He didn't want to be the star of a team that hated him, and though coach was sad to see him go he knew it was for the best. His dad ignored him now, and his mother tried anxiously to keep the peace between them. Matt's former glory was all but forgotten, though he didn't mind. Grace had decided to introduce him to her friends, the school's misfits, at a sleepover at her house.<p>

Grace led him to the basement. "Grace, are you sure I'm welcome here? I wasn't exactly the nicest person to your friends." Grace laughed. Her face lacked her usual makeup, something she skipped when she was just hanging out with her closest friends.

"Matt, you'll be fine. My friends have all forgiven you. You should do the same." And with that they reached the basement and Matt saw six people in the basment, three girls and three boys. Only one pair were goth like Grace and the rest a mix of the school's lowest rungs of the hierarchy. The other two girls sat together, the only lesbian couple in the whole school. One boy was a swimmer, the lowest sport in school, and the last boy was the resident straight showchoir member. They all turned when Matt and Grace entered and shouted greetings of "Hey Grace, who's the stud?" and "Matt! We're about to watch a movie!"

"Hey guys, Matt is here, so PLEASE take it easy on him. He isn't used to our...our...brand of loud friendship." Everyone laughed at that. "Just wait an hour before you really let loose."

"No, that's ok. I can take it." Matt smiled as Grace led him to the last two seats on the couch. He was very aware of how close she was to him, and as the movie started he had to resist the urge to hold her hand. He had just gotten up the nerve when they heard the doorbell ring. "Who's that?"

Grace jumped up. "Pizza! Be right back!" She bounded up the stairs. She went to the door and opened it to find Bobby on her porch. "Oh. It's you. What do you want?" Grace felt her good mood slowly slipping away to be replaced by fear. Her dad wasn't home, as usual, but she had friends downstairs. She figured she'd be fine.

"I want...you!" Bobby pushed her into the house and closed the door. "I want you to make my fantasies come true."

"Get the fuck out of my house Bobby!" Grace was about to call for help when Bobby hit her. He hit her harder than her father ever had. Her father only ever slapped her. Bobby punched her in the stomach so hard she wondered if she had internal bleeding.

"Don't lie to yourself. All you freaky goths like pain. Isn't that why you cut yourselves?" He advanced on her. Grace couldn't hold back her words.

"That would be emos, dumbass." She clenched her teeth against the pain. Bobby, angered by her sarcasm, kicked her as she tried to rise.

"Same thing. You are going to fulfill my fantasy one way of the other. It's your own fault that I couldn't get you out of my mind. I wasn't planning o coming here tonight. I have a girlfriend! But once we do this, I can get you out of head _and _give you the best night of your pitiful life. Now...let's see those scars." He began trying to rip her long sleeved shirt off. Grace saw in a moment of extreme clarity the wolf tattoo on his shoulder. "Don't kid yourself! Stop strugging *slap* _I know you want this!_ Show me your scars, bitch!"

"I don't have any scars! Get off me!Please, somebody HELP ME! Get off me! GET OFF!" *slap* Grace's cries were heard downstairs and her friends ran up stairs, Matt in the lead.

"Shut up bit-What do you guys want?" Bobby eyes were drawn to the people rushing towards him. Even though Grace had put up a good struggle through her pain, Bobby had managed to rip off her shirts so she was only in her black bra. Matt rushed him and pulled him off as the others helped Grace.

"Get your motherfucking hands OFF HER!" Matt hauled the larger boy off the floor and threw him against the wall, adrenaline surging through his veins. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Nothing she doesn't want. She's lucky that I want her at all." Matt slammed him backwards into the wall. "Chill dude. If you like her that much we can do her together!" Matt punched him, over and over.

"IF YOU EVER THINK ABOUT COMING NEAR HER AGAIN I WILL KILL YOU, YOU MOTHER FUCKER! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Matt dragged him to the door and threw him out. He had so much adrenaline flowing that the larger boy was no match for him. Matt turned to see Grace standing with the help of her friends. She caught his eye and tried to cover her almost naked torso. Matt blushed and slipped off his plain blue hoodie. He walked over and gave it to Grace, who put it on. He saw the tears flowing down her face and he wiped them away, marveling at how pretty she was in blue.

"Matt...you...came." Grace threw her arms around him and squeezed. Matt held her close and felt her tears dampen his shirt. Then he felt other arms around him. Grace's friends were gathering around them like a big group hug. Grace clung to Matt like she'd never let go, and when she finally did let go her tears had stopped. "Can we...go back downstairs and watch the movie?" Everyone agreed and they walked downstairs. Matt sat back down wehre he had been before and Grace sat next to him. He placed one arm carefully around her waist, not touching her bruises, and she snuggled in closer with a sigh. He stroked her hair and tried not to touch any of her injuries. Then the doorbell rang. Grace jumped, but the other goth boy, (Jared, Matt remembered) got up and returned with pizza. Grace relaxed back into Matt.

They watched two movies that night, Chicago (a surprisingly decent musical, Matt had to admit) and Fright Night, the new vampire movie. Grace stayed with Matt the whole time, her head resting on his chest and her fingers entwined with his. He kept his arm around her waist and occasionally rubbed her back soothingly. Matt had never been happier.

Grace and Matt settled down to sleep a few hours later. A few very energetic and loud hours later. They needed to sleep, so everyone was laying on the floor under blankets where ever there was room. "Matt, tomorrow, I want to show you something." She snuggled back into the hollow of his abs and fell asleep. Matt kissed her cheek, and when he was sure she was asleep, he whispered what he had wanted to say for weeks.

"_I love you."_

_Grace smiled inside. She wasn't asleep._

* * *

><p><strong>Wow that's a long chapter. But I had some time again to write, so two chapters in one day! Whoo! Anyways, I don't think that any chapters after this will so long. But I needed to get a lot out. Her friends and their party were based on my own high school friends. As always, reviews are welcome. Stay tuned. Update again eventually. Almost done. What should I write about next?<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**At Matt's house.**

Mr. Smith paced the floor, swaying because he was drunk. How dare he? How dare he quit that team? Matt owed him everything! That boy was going to ruin everything! Mrs. Smith had left him that night, inspired by Grace's advice to follow her heart. She was even planning on getting custody of their son! Well, he wasn't going down without a fight. It's not like he really _wanted_ to be Matt's sole guardian, but his wife needed to learn that he wasn't a coward.

But that son of his. That idiot son. He needed to be punished. Mr. Smith booted up his computer and found the website that had caused his son to lose his mind. He found the comment box and typed "Matt Smith's cellphone number is" and added the number. That ought to teach that little idiot, out with his new "friends". The site kept track of how many people visited, and by now it was in the six figure range. Even though the site was old, it still had people flocking to it to write terrible things about his son.

The site was kept alive by Tom and his computer guy. The computer nerd sent it out as a spam message to thousands of people and many in the school still used it to vent frustrations. Even so, the site was losing patrons. Then Mr. Smith put his son's cellphone number on the site.

* * *

><p>It was around ten-thirty in the morning when Matt woke up. At first he was confused about where he was. But the sleeping Grace reminded him. Matt was lying on his side and Grace was lying on her side facing him with her head tucked under his chin resting on his collarbone with her hands resting on his chest. Matt could see a purple bruise on her cheek from the night before, and he felt a swell of anger. As if sensing his feelings, Grace stirred and looked into his eyes. "Are we the only ones awake?" Matt nodded in answer to her question. Everyone else was sleeping on the floor and showing no signs of waking up. Grace rolled to her other side and snuggled back into his abs. She grabbed his arm and draped it over herself like a blanket. "Then go back to sleep. And seriously stop staring, it's creepy." Matt smiled and pulled her closer. He started tracing the tattoo on her neck, one petal at a time. Grace smiled, but swatted his hand away. "Stop it. Sleep more, or face my *yawn* wrath."<p>

Two hours later they all woke up and began milling around Grace's basement. Matt decided to check his phone in case his mom had texted him. When he flipped it open, he had over 200 messages, and almost on cue his phone started ringing. He answered on the third ring. "Hello? Matt Smith speaking."

"You asshole. I hope you get what you deserve."

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Matt was confused, and Grace came over when she saw his face.

"I just saw the website, you sick fuck. If even a quarter of those rumors are true, which some of them must be, you deserve to get the shit kicked out of you." The man hung up. Matt stared at his phone, and then it dawned on him.

"Matt, what happened? Who was that?" Grace's green eyes searched his. What she found was the same anguish she saw months ago, the first time she brought him home from school. That anguish that had haunted his eyes when he first found out about the website, the anguish she had been trying so hard to erase. "Matt, what's going on?"

"I think...I think that someone put my cellphone number on the website. People can _call_ me now. They can torment me in public. It's already ringing again and I have over 200 texts and just as many missed calls. They have been calling me all night but I turned my phone off so I didn't know. Someone put it up last night! They have my number!" Matt was getting frantic now. Grace plucked the phone from his grasp and turned it off.

"So you get a new phone. Don't worry about it right now. Come on, we're going out to McDonalds. Get dressed." Grace walked off to get dressed, but stopped and turned back. "Um, do you want your hoodie back?" She hoped he said no. She liked the soft fabric even though it was much too big. It made her feel safe. Matt smiled and shook his head. Grace grinned and went upstairs with the othr girls.

"Hey, you know she really likes you, right?" Jared stood next to Matt. Matt faced Jared and patted him on the shoulder as he walked by to get his clothes.

"I hope so, Jared. I hope so."

At McDonalds, the group of friends ignored the stares of other students as they watched Matt having fun. Matt was feeling pretty good. He had friends, a girl that he loved (even if she didn't return the feeling), and his father wasn't there to make him feel awful. Speaking of the girl, Grace sat next to him in the booth and they were sitting close together since they had three people sitting in a booth for two. Under the table, Grace held Matt's hand and occasionally pulled up the sleeves of the blue hoodie she was still wearing. Of course, she was still wearing her dark makeup and black jeans with silver chains hanging off the belt loops. But the blue color caused the visible red rose on her neck look even brighter. Suddenly her hand clenched around his and he felt her stiffen. Bobby had just walked.

"Grace, it's ok. We're here with you. He won't bother you again." As Matt reassured her, Bobby came up to the table, ignoring the death stares he received from its occupants. "What do you want, Bobby? I told you to stay away from her." Bobby shrugged.

"I just wanted to tell your girlfriend here that I'm done with her. She's not worth my time, and I don't know why I ever felt the need for her. But you're welcome to try with her. Take it from me, she won't put out. But Grace, if you ever come to your senses..." Bobby grinned and walked away. Matt tried to get up to kick his ass again, but Grace wouldn't let him go.

"What a dick." Matt rubbed his thumb over Grace's hand in small circles. Grace just shrugged.

"He has some serious problems. I mean, what has he been smoking? I don't know if I can even be mad at that wacko, which I am. But I'm just glad he'll leave me alone. Besides, if he ever comes near me again I'll have you." She leaned her head on Matt's shoulder and smiled at her firneds when they winked and gave her thumbs-up. When they were done eating, everyone went their separate ways except Matt and Grace. Grace had asked him to come back to her house. Matt had no idea what they were doing there, but he wanted to find out. Grace's father was home when they pulled in the driveway, and Matt also saw his father's car parked out front.

"This...can't be good. Why is my dad here?" Matt felt a uneasy twist in his stomach as he pulled into the driveway. Grace looked worried as they went inside. They could hear two voices inside.

"Where is my son? I need to talk to him? He said he was going to be here?" Mr. Smith sounded desparate. "I messed up big and I need to talk to him."

"Well, I don't know if he was here at all. I wasn't. I hate being around my daughter's loser friends. Besides, I thought Matt quit the team so you were ignoring him." Matt and Grace entered the kitchen as Mr. Meredith was speaking. Matt spoke up.

"Dad, what's going on? Why are you here?" Matt placed himself slightly in front of Grace in the presence of her father. He always did that since he saw him hit Grace the first time.

"Can we talk somewhere private? Grace, come with." The three of them went into another room, leaving the protesting Mr. Meredith in the kitchen. "Matt, I screwed up. Your mom left me...and then I started drinking...and I did something." The man's eyes were bloodshot and watery, and Matt could tell that he was past being hungover and going into the first symptoms of withdrawel. "Matt, I-I put your...number on the website..."

"What? Dad, _how could you do that?_ I have to get a new phone because the old one won't stop ringing! Why would you do that?"

"I was drunk! I felt upset when your mom left, and in my mind it seemed like a good idea. Matt, _your mother LEFT me!_" He was yelling now.

"Yeah, well I don't blame her. You have been awful to us. You insulted her or ignored her because you would rather live vicariously through me than accept that I don't want the life you feel you lost out on!" Matt had started yelling too. Grace took his hand and squeezed it, calming the shaking boy. "Dad...why did you apologize to me?"

"Because...you're right. I just wanted to tell you to your face that I signed up for an alcohol rehab program and I'll be gone a lot." Matt went to his father and did something he hadn't done in years. He hugged him. Mr. Smith held his son and then pulled away. "I'm leaving now for my first session before I do any more damage to our family." He looked at Grace. "I know that you think I don't like you, and I didn't. I thought you were a bad influence on him, and I tried to scare you away. But I can see how much you care. Please forgive me." Grace shrugged and nodded. "I'm leaving now. You know you're welcome to stay in our house...if your father...bothers you." Matt's father then walked out of the house and left. Matt sat heavily on the sofa and Grace sat next to him.

"I can't believe this. After all these years he finally admitted he has a problem? That bastard. Why now? Why not before he destroyed our family? Why not before I turned into dousche bag?" Matt felt himself getting frantic, but one look into Grace's eyes calmed him.

"He hit rock-bottom, Matt. Sometimes that's the only way someone can change, can realize the mistakes they've made are taking them down a road they never wanted." She looked intently at him, and Matt knew that she meant him. He couldn't blame his dad, he had had the same epiphany. But Matt had Grace to help him through it. "Come on, let's go upstairs."

"Oh no you don't. You had a party without telling me? I looked like a fool when he asked about that boy." Grace's father blocked the stars.

"Dad, I told you on Monday I was having friends over for a party. You said it was fine as long as I cleaned the basement first. I did, and they came over. But you couldn't even be bothered to stay home and supervise! Do you even know what almost happened to me? I could have been rap-"

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Her father didn't want to hear it.

"What? Raped? I could have been raped last night by the local creepy jock and YOU WEREN'T THERE to save your own daughter! Matt and my friends are my real family. They are always there for me! I hate it here! I'm moving out!" Grace was breathing heavily like her father, and the anger and hurt were clear in her eyes.

"Oh, really? And where are you gonna go? Who in your little "family" will take you in? Who's parents will let your tattooed ass into their home?" He sneered at his daughter. She wasn't going anywhere. Even though she had her own money and she had bought her computers with it, she had no where to take that stuff.

"She's moving in with me. My dad said it was alright, and we're both eighteen so you can't legally stop her." Grace was shocked at Matt's outburst, eve nmore so than her father.

"Fine, take her in. I'm leaving on trip for the week. When I get back, you better be gone." He stormed upstairs and came down with the suitcases he had packed the night before. "I have a plane to catch." He walked out the door, and Grace knew she would never again live in their house.

"Can I...really come and live with you? I mean, you don't have to let me..." Matt just reached for her home phone and dialed his dad's cell number.

"Hey dad, Grace is going to move in with us...Until we move out...Ok, thanks dad." He hung the phone up. "Dad says it's fine if you really want to. He likes you, you know. You can stay with us." Grace pulled him into a hug and he held her while she cried. Finally, she pulled away.

"I want to show you something. Come upstairs." She held his hand and pulled him after her. They antered the study with her computers. She booted them back up and sat down. Matt joined her at the other chair. "I've been working on something for awhile and I want you to see it." She opened a folder and entered a long password. The screen was suddenly covered in lines upon lines of code. Then she moved to another and pulled up the "Matt Smith: Bully the Bully" website.

"Grace, what is this?"

"It's a virus. I wrote it specially for this. Whoever created the site had some skill, and I cannot shut it down. But I can attach this virus so that anyone who visits the site is infected. I started writing it months ago as a hobby and made it to be strong enough to attatch to every computer that acessed it without alerting any firewalls. It's kind of like a trojan worm, but much worse." Matt stared at the code, unable to fathom what it meant.

"What does it do?"

"It latches onto the firewall and finds a hole in it without actually breaking through it. Then it's like a cold virus. It starts infecting documents, files, the software, everything on the hard drive and uses them to replicate itself over and over until the computer crashes. At first the computer will seem slow, but after three days they will turn on their computer to find that their hard drive was corrupted and permanently erased. There will be no recovery." Grace tapped a few last minute touches into the code.

"Grace...is this legal?"

"God no, it's unbelieveably illegal. But don't worry, I won't take the fall. I hacked that idiot Tom's computer and added some e-mails to his little computer friend asking him to engineer this virus to 'prank the suckers' who go on the website. This computer here, thanks to some custom work by me, uses the same IP address as that worm's computer, if they can get through the regualr protections. Gotta make it look good."

"Grace, how did you learn all this? I mean, who actually knows how to write a completely new computer virus in a few months?"

"Let's just say that my father's company isn't exactly squeaky clean, legally. He taught me the basics, and I've been writing code ever since."

"So you wrote a virus and modified it so that it will shut down the website in the most public way possible? Because you knew that the press would find out. This is...amazing. Are you going to upload it?"

"Yeah, only if you want me to." Matt just nodded.

"Why would you do this for me? Why do you care so much?" Matt reached over and grabbed her hand. Grace looked over, and slowly leaned forward until their faces were close.

"Because you are terrible at telling when I'm sleeping." She kissed Matt's shocked face gently and pulled back. He blushed a deep red, but pulled her closer and kissed her again, and when she tangled a hand in his hair, he pulled back.

"You heard that? What I said?" Matt searched her happy eyes.

"Of course I did." She leaned in and whispered in his ear "I love you too, Matt."

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, alright. I know that they've already said "I love you", and this may seem corny, but the next chapter will sort of be the ballroom scene from the movie. I love that scene, and every beauty and beast needs one.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Tom sat in court listening to the judge but not really hearing him. The police hadn't been able to prove beyond a doubt that he had started that virus, but they didn't need to. No one in the school believed him when he told them he didn't cause their computer to crap out. Of course it had to be the Grace chick, but the police only believed the e-mails they found in his outbox and the IP address they found imbedded in the virus. The little computer nerd he hired to start the site had also been pulled into this mess since the computer the virus originated from was apparently his. Tom had been let off the charges thanks to his family's great lawyer, but they were moving. No one in the school would even look at him and angry parents called his house demanding compensation for their computers.

As for Bobby, he had been thrown in jail for trying to roofie a girl at school dance two towns over. The girl's father had been one of the chaperones, and also the sheriff. Although there was little chance of Bobby not being convicted of something in that small town, he hoped he was. At least in jail the sheriff couldn't kill him.

Grace and Matt weren't dating. Don't worry though. They weren't dating because they were in a relationship. They lived together in Matt's house with his parents, who had started working things out as his dad went through his rehab program. Grace and Matt loved each other, and with Tom and Bobby gone Matt wasn't a target for social mockery anymore. Most of the school either left him alone, or befriended the new person they saw before them. Matt really was different, different from the arrogant jock he had once been. He was kind and helpful, and he could often be seen in the hallways with a group of friends. The end of high school had turned around for him.

But it was the time for the corniest, most over-done event of high school.

* * *

><p>"I don't think I can do this." Matt looked at himself in the mirror. His brown hair was neatly combed and his black bow tie was straight, but he was more nervous right now than he ever had been before. "I look ridiculous." Jared looked over at him. Matt and Jared had become very good friends in a short time, and Matt was getting ready at Jared's house.<p>

"Dude, you look fine. Like James Bond." He laughed as Matt shot him with a finger-gun. "Relax man. You look good."

"You too, man." And Jared did look good. His jet black hair matched his pinstripe black suit. "Very...tommy-gun gangster." Jared shot him a thumbs up and proceded to tie a silver tie around his neck, which complimented his black shirt. "Alright, time for the finishing touch."

"Ok, hold still." Jared held up a plain black mask with silver trim and helped Matt fasten it to his face. Matt then helped Jared put on his own mask, also black but in the shape of a bat. Kind of like the symbol of batman, but more abstract. "Ok, let's go get the girls."

They arrived at Matt's house around 6:30 and saw the limo was already waiting outside. They walked in and Mrs. Smith called upstairs to announce them. Matt fiddled nervously with the sleeve of his jacket. He watched the stairs, wondering what his date looked like. Jared's date, Grace's other goth friend Sara, came down first in a soild black dress that looked like it was from the victorian era. But a goth Victorian era. Jared looked at his girlfriend in awe, dazzled by the dark queen he saw before him. Matt turned his face back to the stairs just as Grace emerged at the top. What Matt saw took his breath away.

Grace was wearing a long blue dress, the same color as the sweatshirt that Matt had given her months ago. It was strapless, and the bodice had small blue beads sewn in a simple pattern that wrapped around her torso. The skirt was full, but not puffy like a cake topper, and it had pick-ups held in place by clusters of the blue beads. Grace wore a simple silver necklace with a single silver flower with blue crystal to match her dress. Wrapped around her shoulders was a black shawl, and on her face was a black satin mask with blue beads hand-sewn to the border. Her rose stood out on her neck and arm, and though red and blue don't always mix, the ruby red and saphire blue looked perfect. As she descended the stairs, she smiled at her date with such happiness that the room seemed to brighten.

Matt couldn't help himself. He kissed her as soon as she reached the bottoms step, but quickly so that he didn't ruin her red lipstick. "You look...beautiful." He had never seen anything so beautiful.

"You look pretty good too, Mr. Bond. You know I have a thing for a man in a tuxedo." She winked at him through her mask. Matt smiled and blushed as he retrieved a small box from the table. Inside lay a corsage with a single red rose and blue baby's breath. Grace gasped and held out her wrist so he could put it on. Then she attached a matching red rose to his tuxedo. Mrs. Smith snapped photos of both couples the whole time, and then took several posed shots. Mrs. Smith looked happy, happier than she had for a long time. The other guests filtered in and at seven the group was all there.

"Ok everyone, off to the limo. You have a dinner reservation!" They piled into the limo and were on their way to the restuarant. While they couldn't afford the fancy places that other groups went to, the local steak house welcomed them with open arms. They laughed and talked and were all around having a good time, just one of several prom groups at the steak house. They waved at classmates and sang loudly to music only they could hear. So far, prom night was the best night of their lives.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, I need a little help. Obviously they can't dance to beauty and the beast, but I do need ideas for slow dance songs. Anything? Any help would be good. It has to be perfect, so until I find the right song this story will remain unfinished. Thanks for reading, as always.<strong>


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